In 1947, as the integration of Major League Baseball began, the once-daring American League had grown reactionary, unwilling to confront post-war challenges - population shifts, labor issues and, above all, racial integration. The league had matured in the Jim Crow era, when northern cities responded to the Great Migration by restricting black access to housing, transportation, accommodations and entertainment. The racial divide forced blacks to create their own, often poorly funded institutions, including baseball's Negro Leagues. As the political climate changed and some major league teams...
In 1947, as the integration of Major League Baseball began, the once-daring American League had grown reactionary, unwilling to confront post-war chal...
